The government white paper cited Luton as one of the United Kingdom airports which lies in pole position for expansion. Currently LTN handles 6 million+ passengers a year, this will obviously increase hence the need for expansion. A new runway was one of the proposals put forward by ministers.

A new departure lounge will be integrated in the (now unsused) 2nd level of the new check-in area. A new immigration hall and pier to serve the northen and eastern aprons will also be built, increasing walk-on stands by over 50%.

AFAIK the above should be completed by next year though I presume some local members know more?

The bad thing about LTN at the moment is the layout as soon as you enter. You walk in and in front of you is just shops etc... there are a few gaps which you can squeeze your trolley through to get to the check-in area. Pushing your way past people who are sat eating with their luggage next to them (in the way) of course. Then you have to turn around and go the way you came, get past people coming the other way with trolleys and head through the door right next to the entrance - on the same wall. There were a few confused people when I was there in April

The best London airport is Stansted, hopefully all expansion will take palce there. Despite doubling the terminal space, it is already running at capacity again in the check-in area in rush hour, and it could really use another runway, some more plane stands and even more check-in space...

Luton, on the other hand, is a badly designed airport (as pointed out above). The check-in area is of a poor layout, the main terminal works on the same principles as Heathrow (i.e. cramp all people into a small central space and tell them which gate to go to at the last minute) which is annoying and uncomfortable, the planes have to taxi onto the runway, drive to the end, and turn around, something acceptable at LCY and other low-traffic airports, but surely a cause of delays at any busy international airport.

What Luton could use: A new terminal, just replace the entire dreadful current one. Some taxiways to the very end of the runway. Improved connections to central London (i.e. a train station inside the airport, and express trains that don't bother stopping at every little hamlet in between).

What it will get: Nothing, probably.

With luck, Heathrow might get the extra runway and Stansted might be allowed to grow. I strongly doubt they'll grow more than 2 airports simultaneously, and Luton just isn't worth bothering with... (says the armchair manager in me)

Stansted is just too far away from London to be of any interest to anyone other than cheapskates and backpackers, at least until something is done about that dreadful Stansted Express service (express is stretching it a bit!). Similarly, Luton needs to have more efficient rail links to London (Thameslink isn't the best). My favourite is undoubtedly Gatwick - never mind the NIMBY's, just expand the place with new runways and terminals - at least it has a decent rail connection to central London.

What's wrong with the Stansted Express? Apart from the extortionate ticket price?

It doesn't stop at every cow farm (like the Luton trains), runs directly from the terminal to central London, on a frequent basis and, when speed restrictions and British railway troubles don't apply, even fairly quickly.

Stansted is just too far away from London to be of any interest to anyone other than cheapskates and backpackers

Are you claiming to speak for the whole of Europe, many of whose citizens fly through STN? What if I told you full-service airlines also use the airport, and that I regularly checked-in business travellers flying on some of the resident LCCs there? I think you should be careful when making such statements!

I agree with others; I have flown out of LTN before, and found the path to the gate convoluted to say the least; through this narrow corridor, up these stairs, down another corridor, down these stairs, up another set of stairs....

No wonder I am constantly amazed every time I visit FRA, AMS, HEL etc....STN and MAN are models from which to base future expansion imho.

Ikarus - in my limited experience the Stansted Express doesn't run to time, is overcrowded, dirty and full of scruffy, smelly backpackers. Indeed I had the misfortune to have to share an overcrowded FIRST CLASS coach (and yes I did pay the first class fare) with a group of ignorant youths recently arrived on an Iceland Express flight. Never again, as I do, of course, have a choice of where to spend my money.

The most probable improvement (as I understand) is that Luton will get approval for taxi way improvements, to allow proper end-w-end taxi, which will improve the volume of traffic this airport can handle.

Other than that, I'm sure (and hope) that the best improvement is a 3rd short runway at LHR, with further runways at LGW and STN.

Actually, I began by thinking that building a new airport on a completely new site would give the UK a chance to compete with the likes of MUC, AMS, CDG and what have you; there would be lots of runways, plenty of room for expansion and world-class facilities to include rapid transit infrastructure to London's CBD district, or a similar area.

That would allow LHR to be closed down, and the land used to build houses or something else.

However, since then, I have somewhat changed my mind. It appears Cliffe would be extremely expensive (well, that much was obvious to me), and that predictions that air travel would increase by X over so many years (whatever the parameters were) were "too optimistic."

A new airport is completely out of the question, no space IN London, and would be catastrophically expensive.

That would allow LHR to be closed down, and the land used to build houses or something else.
Are you serious? Closing LHR down is neither an option or a feasability, the NIMBY's would have won if we close down Heathrow, specially to build 'more houses'